ORLANDO – Refusing to simply stand pat in hopes that their early-season struggles resolve themselves, the Orlando Magic altered their starting lineup on Saturday by inserting Markelle Fultz at point guard in place of veteran D.J. Augustin.
For the 21-year-old Fultz, Saturday’s promotion was his first start in a Magic jersey and the 16th of his three-year NBA career. Fultz came into Saturday’s game against the Denver Nuggets averaging 9.8 points, 3.6 assists and 2.0 rebounds while shooting 45.7 percent from the floor over first five games of this season.
Orlando was the only team in the NBA to return all five starters from the end of last season. Augustin, of course, was a big part of that mix, starting all 81 of the games that he played in last season. He also started the first five games of this season, averaging 8.4 points and 4.6 assists while shooting 40 percent from the floor and 27.3 percent from 3-point range.
Inserting Fultz for Augustin had plenty to do with defensive analytics and nothing to do with any sort of injury to the 31-year-old Augustin. In 59 minutes together early this season, the Magic had a 101.6 defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) with Augustin on the floor with Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier, Jonathan Isaac and Aaron Gordon. When the Magic have played Fultz with those four starters – in 28 minutes prior to Saturday’s game – the Magic compiled a 95.2 defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions). The offensive numbers with Augustin (96.7 offensive rating) and Fultz (96.8 offensive rating) were virtually the same.
Another possible reason for the change is that it better balances the Magic’s shooting between the first and second teams. Fultz, who overcame a serious shoulder injury after the Magic traded for him last February, has struggled with his 3-point shooting throughout his NBA career and his lack of outside shooting isn’t as much of an issue with him playing alongside of Fournier, Vucevic and Isaac. As for Augustin, he shot 42.1 percent from beyond the 3-point line last season and he gives the Magic another perimeter shooting threat with their second unit.
REST DISADVANTAGES FOR THE MAGIC: While the Orlando Magic were facing off against reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night, the Denver Nuggets were already at their hotel in suburban Orlando enjoying a night off and resting up for Saturday’s game at the Amway Center.
The good news/bad news for the Magic as it relates to their schedule this season is this – while they are tied with six other teams for having the fewest back-to-back sets of games, they will be at a significant rest disadvantage on most of the second nights of those back-to-backs.
Orlando’s 11 back-to-backs are the fewest in the 31-year history of the franchise and down significantly from the 14 last season and the 15 in 2017-18 as the NBA has worked to reduce the instances when the teams are forced to play on consecutive nights. Nine of the Magic’s back-to-backs feature some sort of travel in between the games, while two of them – such as the one this weekend and another on Jan. 3-4 – have the Magic playing on consecutive nights at the Amway Center.
The downside of the Magic’s 11 back-to-backs is this: In 10 of the 11 instances that they will be playing two nights in a row, their opponents will have at least one night off to rest up and prepare. And in six of those instances, a Magic team coming off a game a night earlier will be facing a foe that has at least two nights of rest.
Denver came into Saturday’s game against the Magic having not played since Thursday when it lost in New Orleans. In Orlando’s next back-to-back set of games, it plays in Oklahoma City on Tuesday and then faces a Dallas team on Wednesday that will have had the previous two nights off.
3-POINT THRASHING: Magic coach Steve Clifford said one of the most upsetting aspects of Friday’s lopsided loss to Milwaukee was the fact that the Bucks repeatedly got wide-open for looks, even though that one was one the major points of emphasis in Orlando’s game plan prior to the game.
Orlando came into Friday second in the NBA in 3-pointers allowed per game and second in the lowest percentage allowed, but the Bucks shredded it for 17 3-pointers. Nine of those 3-pointers came during a 40-9 Milwaukee run spanning the first and second quarters that completely flipped the game around.
Here’s the statistic that has to be the most troubling to Magic coaches and players: Of the 47 3-pointers that the Bucks attempted, 25 of them came without an Orlando defender within 6 feet, according to analytical data on NBA.com.
To put that into perspective, the Magic failed to generate the same sort of open looks when they had possession. Of the Magic’s 37 3-pointers, only 16 came with a defender no closer than 6 feet away. In fact, nine of Orlando’s 3-point tries on Friday came with a defender within a 2-4 feet away.
``The biggest thing that I didn’t realize until watching the film was what a big deal the turnovers were,’’ said Clifford, pointing out that many of Milwaukee’s open looks came in transition. ``(The 16 turnovers) got them out and running and they made us pay. A lot of (Milwaukee’s open 3-pointers) were in transition. You give up (36 points) in transition, a lot of (the open looks) came because they had Giannis and Eric Bledsoe right at the rim, (causing the defense to collapse).’’
ROSS TO THE RESCUE: Orlando tied for first in the NBA last season in come-from-behind wins when trailing after three quarters, doing so 11 times. Many of those rallies were courtesy of Terrence Ross’ ability to pick up his production in the fourth quarters of games when he led the Magic – and ranked 12thin the NBA in scoring in the final period (5.3 points per fourth quarter).
This season, Ross has failed to get on track in most all quarters, making just 14 of 57 shots and only six of 35 3-point shots while averaging 8.4 points a night coming into Saturday. His struggles come on the heels of him averaging a career-best 15.1 points last season while becoming the first player in NBA history to make at least 200 3-pointers (217) without starting a game all season.
Ross sounded like a player somewhat pressing while trying to rescue the Magic’s struggling offense. However, he stressed that the early-season woes have done little to shake his belief that he can be as effective as he was last season.
``Shots are not falling and they’re not going to fall all the time, but I’ve just got to keep shooting and the rest will come,’’ said Ross, who made just five of 14 shots and two of seven 3-pointers in the fourth quarters of the Magic’s first five games. ``I think once we play better as a team, I’ll start to get into a rhythm better. Once the offense starts to click, I think everyone’s individual game will start to click. We’re going to get there. We haven’t lost faith, it’s still early and we have a lot of work to do, but we’re still positive that we can get to where we were.’’
UP NEXT: The Magic will take Sunday off after playing Friday and Saturday. The team will be back on the practice floor at the Amway Center on Monday prior to departing for Oklahoma City to do battle with the new-look Thunder on Tuesday.
Orlando lost both meetings against the Thunder last season and have dropped three in a row and four of five in the series.
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